To Update you: My little guy is 12 weeks old and we have been exclusively breastfeeding and all has been going extremely well. I pump at work 3x a day to provide milk for him at Daycare and nurse on demand any other time.
I had a bout of Mastitis in my right breast at 5 weeks

Yesterday I noticed my right breast was extremely sore to the touch--almost like a bruise. The underside was hard and painful. I took a hot shower, massaged, expressed milk in the shower and nursed frequently on the sore breast. I am not experiencing any fever or other symptoms related to Mastitis

Today it is not AS sore, but still slightly so, and i've noticed i'm not pumping NEARLY as much milk out of either breast as I usually do. On any given day I pump around 6-8oz in my first AM pump, 6oz in my 2nd pump and another 4-6oz in my 3rd pump.

Today I followed my same pumping schedule and have gotten HALF the amount I usually do and the least amount of milk came from my right (sore) breast.

Any ideas? Clogged duct? Remedies other than what i've been doing? Would this affect my milk production?

Thanks in advance!
Amy

October 8th, 2012, 06:12 PM

@llli*monika.h

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

Sounds to me like a clogged duct. Your milk production should recover soon. Are you using breast compessions at the end of each pumping session to make sure your breasts are well drained?

:ita Definitely sounds like you had a clogged duct, which hopefully is mostly resolved by now. But I would probably continue with the wet heat and compresses, etc., until your supply returns in full. It's normal to see a decrease, but it usually comes back when you clear the clog, so I'd be worried it's not fully gone yet. Good luck! :gvibes

October 9th, 2012, 07:30 AM

@llli*stonesmom

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

Quote:

Originally Posted by @llli*joe.s.mom

:ita Definitely sounds like you had a clogged duct, which hopefully is mostly resolved by now. But I would probably continue with the wet heat and compresses, etc., until your supply returns in full. It's normal to see a decrease, but it usually comes back when you clear the clog, so I'd be worried it's not fully gone yet. Good luck! :gvibes

Thank you Ladies!
I think it's mostly cleared up now--lots of massaging and heat. It is no longer sore but i'm still getting about HALF as much as I normally get from pumping, especially my morning session which is usually the most! Today I only got 5oz total, 2oz from the clogged breast. I know this is still considered "a lot" to some, but when you are used to getting 4oz from EACH breast this is worrisome! and i'm not sure why the unaffected breast would be producing less than usual as well?

Since you say production can be affected from the clog then I will not worry and will just keep an eye out for the next couple days. If my supply is still low I will be reaching out again!

Thank you all, I'm so grateful to have resources like these to keep me going and feeling confident. I WILL Breastfeed my son for years to come!
xoxo

October 9th, 2012, 10:52 AM

@llli*mommal

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

Most moms have some decrease in production post-clog. Anytime milk sits unused in the breast, the body interprets that as a cue to decrease supply. That cue may even effect the breast that wasn't impacted by the plug. It doesn't matter if the reason milk sat unused was because mom skipped a feeding or pumping session, or because she had a plug that prevented her from getting the milk out.

5 oz at a pumping session is NOT low supply. Remember that when milk production is well matched to the baby's need, a mom is usually going to produce around 1.5 oz per hour! Because that is true, I would not freak out about low supply. I would actually take this as something of a relief: making extra milk is something that puts a mom at increased risk of getting plugs and even mastitis. So there's a good reason why you don't want to be maki a ton of extra milk all the time.

October 9th, 2012, 03:32 PM

@llli*joe.s.mom

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

:ita Good point from Mommal. In any event, if you continue pumping as usual, you'll probably get your (over)supply back soon. :gvibes

October 9th, 2012, 07:53 PM

@llli*alphawoman

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

This is probably a no-brainer, but offer the affected side to baby first until the duct clears. I had good results after mastitis by placing a hot pack on my breast before and during nursing. The blockage seemed to resolve in about a day with the help of my barracuda baby.

October 14th, 2012, 10:57 AM

@llli*stonesmom

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

All good ladies! Back to normal, feeling good, back to my normal supply! Thank you so much for all your help!
xoxoxo

October 14th, 2012, 12:17 PM

@llli*mommal

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

Awesome!

October 15th, 2012, 12:52 PM

@llli*joe.s.mom

Re: Advice please--sore breast and less milk than usual

:clap Be careful with that pumping, as oversupply is a contributing factor for clogged ducts. So if you're pumping during the week, but not on weekends, and you (on average) pump more than your baby drinks during the day, you could be setting yourself up for clogs. You can always back off the pumping a bit to help even out your supply.